Academic Expectations
When teachers have high expectations for students’ success, they have a meaningful positive impact on academic achievement. In this domain, teachers share their perceptions of what their students can achieve and their engagement with grade-level standards.
Recommendations
Based on our extensive experience, TNTP recommends the following as evidence-based practices for this domain:
- Allow teachers to see students succeeding with more rigorous material through peer or leader modeling.
- Learn which teachers are spending the most time creating or finding lessons outside the adopted curriculum and ask why.
- Model holding all students to a high standard and communicate expectations that all students will be given grade-appropriate assignments regardless of current performance level.
- Avoid asking teachers to consciously suppress their biases; this can be counterproductive.
Resources
Browse Resources by Audience
Teachers
Resources for Teachers
The Opportunity Myth: A report on TNTP’s national research showing that most students lack the opportunity to regularly tackle grade-appropriate assignments
Resources for Selecting Instructional Materials: Resources for reviewing and evaluating instructional materials to ensure rigorous grade-level content
Assignment Review Protocols: Protocols for assessing the quality of assignments students are asked to complete in ELA, math, science, and social studies
Universal Design of Learning Guidelines: A resource on the importance of learner agency
Student Work Library: Examples of assignments that are strongly, partially, and weakly aligned with college and career-ready standards
Good to Great Reflection Guide: A reflection protocol to keep notes on what your students achieve when they’re given the chance to try grade-appropriate assignments
Teachers’ Expectations Survey: A survey to gather information about teachers’ expectations for students
Adopting Strong Instructional Materials: A case study on supporting the adoption of comprehensive, standards-aligned instructional materials
School Leadership
Resources for School Leadership
Resources for Selecting Instructional Materials: Resources for reviewing and evaluating instructional materials to ensure rigorous grade-level content
Assignment Review Protocols: Protocols for assessing the quality of assignments students are asked to complete in ELA, math, science, and social studies
Adopting Strong Instructional Materials: A case study on supporting the adoption of comprehensive, standards-aligned instructional materials
Central Teams
Resources for Central Teams
Resources for Selecting Instructional Materials: Resources for reviewing and evaluating instructional materials to ensure rigorous grade-level content
Adopting Strong Instructional Materials: A case study on supporting the adoption of comprehensive, standards-aligned instructional materials
Family / Caregiver
Resources for Family / Caregivers
Resources for Selecting Instructional Materials: Resources for reviewing and evaluating instructional materials to ensure rigorous grade-level content
Students
Resources for Students
The Opportunity Myth: A report on TNTP’s national research showing that most students lack the opportunity to regularly tackle grade-appropriate assignments
Resources for Selecting Instructional Materials: Resources for reviewing and evaluating instructional materials to ensure rigorous grade-level content
Universal Design of Learning Guidelines: A resource on the importance of learner agency
Student Work Library: Examples of assignments that are strongly, partially, and weakly aligned with college and career-ready standards